Let Mine Be the Last Sacrifice
by Villaviceroy
Summary: Instead of a reluctant man, unwilling to believe they could be chosen by Andraste, Kaaras Adaar is a pious man, as pious as one can be as an apostate who worked for a band of mercenaries. He believes that the Chantry can be an engine for positive change. But with everything in shambles and a tear in the sky, can he step up and save a world gone mad?
1. Prologue: The One Who Repents

_The one who repents, who has faith,_

 _Unshaken by the darkness of the world,_

 _She shall know true peace._

The first thing one would notice about Kaaras Adaar would be race, a simple and tragic fact of the society of Thedas. He was by all accounts a very good specimen of the Qunari, except that he had never known the Qun. His father had been a Saarebas, leashed and chained but complacent until he had failed the tenants of selflessness and restraint, tempted by a gentle touch and pity that went beyond the Qun. His mother; a young Tamassran who didn't regret her decision to show kindness, to show adoration or to leave. She said so until her dying breath, speaking to a sniveling youth full of sadness and magic.

The tale was long and had made a young boy gag childishly when they told it, but his parents had been very clear. They had ended up abandoning their duties against everything the Qun had instilled in them, and had run. Kaaras was a product of their union. A consequence they had borne happily. His father showed him a love of the Maker, who while still not as kind, provided for much more freedom than the Qun. His mother instilled in him a will of fire and preached the importance of a soft voice and big ears to speak only when important and listen at all times. He still grieved their absence at times, even years later.

Kaaras shifted, shaking himself out of reverie as his captain passed, informing him he'd be heading down the mountain to meet with the other men. The large male smiled a bit to himself; the Valo-Kas were his family now, and they were a good strong family. They joked about his appearance often. The bluest eyes one had ever seen shone out of a gnarled face. 'Wasted!' they claimed over drinks, or 'clawed from the face of some boyish noble.' His face was covered with scars that spoke of hardship and violence and despite his best efforts, his resting face was set into an ever present scowl that had earned him the nickname Smiley. To top it off, both of his horns were broken at different lengths, though his mates never joked about that, they knew better.

All in all, he was a figure that seemed to put the fear of Andraste into those that stepped about him as he provided security for those visiting the Conclave. It also seemed there were many who wished to say something about the staff he wore on his back during this job… Unsurprising, given the reason these two groups were meeting, but the humans didn't have the gall to even make a whisper about him; if he had to guess, it was from fear, and he would have guessed correctly. It was satisfying though, to see the mages want something more, though he didn't always agree with the way he went about it. He'd been living as an apostate for years though, what did he know of the circle? No, he was neutral in his opinion of the current state of Thedas. His concern was the safety of those who came to the conclave, not their twisted politics.

He stood guarding the meeting rooms of the conclave, empty save for the Divine for a while now; when he heard an explosion and a cry for help. No one had come past him, what could be happening? He pulled the staff from his back and with a roar he pushed through the doors, running forward to protect his divine, "What's going on in here?!"

Kaaras remembers little else, only a sickly green sky and horrible creatures chasing him. The stuff of nightmares and tales told around a fire to shake you for the long watch. He stumbled forward and then up, cutting his large hands on sharp rocks as he scrambled higher, a light beckoning him. He saw the light take shape, a woman? The overlarge man stumbled towards it, death and fear on his heels and then he feels warmth and safety for a brief moment before he is spit out into ash and destruction and then, he knew no more.

* * *

 _A/N: Just in case it matters, which I'm sure it does, since I've written no stories about origins or 2, the general shape of things was a noble dwarf warden who tried as much as she could to be a protector for her lover, Leliana and show her the good in the world despite all the betrayal they both felt from the people who were supposed to care about them. Alistair did the do with Morrigan and was happy not to be placed on the throne and be a good Grey Warden. Marian Hawke was an absolute babe mage who deserved nothing terrible but still got all the terrible things to happen to her. She tried her best always to be fair and kind though she rarely received kindness in return and took the punishment for her perceived failures. The innocence of Merrill soothed her, made her feel worthy and happy for a breif moment, until the violence erupted and the rage that people had questioned if Marian even had showed itself. She had had enough and wielding a sword awkwardly, she screamed and cursed Ander's name as she lopped his damn head off. She wanted freedom for the mages, but never the way he did. I might do short tales from those from time to time, but this is the story I always wanted to focus on. Welcome aboard guys. I hope you enjoy._


	2. Chapter 1: There Was No Word

_A/N:_ _So I noticed that along with a lot of other fics, the beginning of these is always very game dialogue heavy, and unfortunately this is no exception, but I do promise, stick with me and you'll see the changes, until then there will be minor changes that lead to major events. Enjoy._

* * *

 _There was no word  
For heaven or for earth, for sea or sky.  
All that existed was silence. _

The Seeker hadn't felt grief and rage like this since her brother Anthony had been taken from her as a child. That a mage was at the center of this tragedy as well… It was all Leliana could do to stay Cassandra's hand as the Qunari slept, barely alive after having taken a supposed trip through the fade. Now that he was awake though, it was even harder to reign in her anger. She was seething when she arrived to the holding cell they had placed the Qunari in. Kaaras Adaar, it was almost an insult that of all those who wished to do good at the conclave, of all the important lives… A Qunari mage was the one spared.

Behind her stood a stoic figure, calculating every movement the confused Qunari made. The left hand of the Divine was skilled in this task. Leliana watched, aggrieved but knowing that they needed him for information. As the two entered the cell, the mountain of a man seemed to draw the eye. He looked up as they entered; a questioning look on his gnarled face. His eyes, as bright as the sky on a clear day looked between the women, unsure what to say until Cassandra spoke up.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead," the woman circled like an angry wolf, teeth borne in her fury as she stalked in a circle around the large man, finally stopping and hissing in a disgusted voice, "Except for you."

The man's face hardened to hide his fear and grief. He strained to think of what could have happened but could barely recall a thing. He didn't know how to answer and he wasn't even sure he could with a slow pain spreading up his arm. The lady Seeker seemed enraged at his silence and grabbed his large wrist, waving it in front of his face as it glowed green and pain erupted from it, "Explain this!"

He could barely utter the words, muddled in pain and fear and the beginnings of annoyance, "I can't!"

That was apparently the wrong answer as the grieving Seeker only looked more ferocious, she shouted and he begged her to understand, he didn't know what this mark on his hand was, he couldn't know, he couldn't recall anything except a boring security detail at the Conclave! The claim that he had been there protecting people seemed to push the woman past her breaking point. That's when she went for his throat, growling like a wounded creature, "You're lying!"

He tried to sway backwards to keep her from putting hands on him when the red-head pushed her back, trying to calm her friend. He was lost in his own thoughts now though, seemingly safe for the moment from the Seeker's assault. He thought of his family, the other Valo-Kas mercenaries, the Divine, all those who had wanted peace even haughty and terrible as some could be, were they truly all dead?

"I-I can't believe it… All those people… Dead?" He seemed so sincerely upset that it gave both women pause.

The spymaster took in the sight of the Qunari, frowning as she tried to understand him, "Do you remember what happened? How all this began?"

Kaaras shook his head tiredly. What was happening? Why was this happening to him? "I… Creatures chasing me. A woman made of light and then waking up here. There's nothing else."

Leliana looked skeptical but felt a hand alight her shoulder. Cassandra was there, she spoke in a tight voice, but her anger seemed to have subsided a bit, for now. She pat her arm and stepped forward towards Kaaras, "Go to the forward camp Leliana, I will take him to the rift."

Leliana gave her a dubious look, clearly concerned about her previous reaction, "Cassandra, are you sure of this?" Her doubt made the Seeker pink in the cheeks as she felt a rush of slight annoyance and then embarrassment, "You are right, we need him and I will pose no danger to him. I will bring the prisoner to the Rift."

Leliana simply nodded before subsiding and turned on her heel to leave as the Qunari was brought to his feet. They had to close the Breach, and this Qunari mage was their only hope.

* * *

Cassandra hadn't noticed how large this mage was until he was shuffling along behind her, even shoulders slumped and looking defeated, he was a good head taller than her. She wondered about the broken horns atop his head, unequal and jagged in their ends… in fact she wondered many things about their prisoner, but there weren't any answers.

Outside, Kaaras attempted to shield his eyes from the harsh light, green and bright from the Breach up in the sky. He seemed awed by it, and, objectively, Cassandra could see the strange, diseased beauty of the tear in the sky, but it only filled her with gloom. She spoke up to interrupt his gawking, "They call it the Breach. It is a massive tear in the Veil, a rift into the Fade that continues to grow and spit out demons with every passing moment. There have been reports of many of these opening up all over Thedas, but this is the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave."

Kaaras seemed skeptical, "An explosion can do _that_?"

Cassandra made an angry noise below her breath, "This one did. And if we fail to act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world."

The ominous words from the Seeker were followed by a flash of green light and then a loud boom before Kaaras gave a cry of pain and bent over his hand. It flared green and sizzled as if answering the Breach's noise with its own outpouring of light. He gasped for breath, shocked at the pain he felt and he almost whimpered. He never had the high tolerance for pain the others he grew up with seemed to share. The very existence of the mark on his hand made him feel queasy and sick. When he looked up, Cassandra was kneeling before him, brow furrowed in thought. This man… So openly distraught, could he really have done this?

"The Mark is killing you. Each time the Breach expands, it threatens to consume you. But it may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time," She offered, wanting to see his reaction and being a little taken aback, there was fear in the man's eyes, sadness and struggle, but beyond it an icy determination.

"I understand. I'll do what I can. Whatever it takes," Cassandra was taken aback but managed a small quirk of the lips, the first thing close to a smile she had felt since the Divine's death. She hid it quickly, grabbing the prisoner's shoulder and pulling on it to help him rise up before walking him through the village.

Kaaras tensed as all eyes turned to him, silent and loathing, as they continued to walk some of the braver humans hissed out epithets and words of hatred as Cassandra explained in a low voice, feeling him grow stiff, "They have decided your guilt. They _need_ it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, Head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers."

"This was a chance for peace between the Templars and the Mages. She brought their leaders together, to talk. Now… They are dead," She tried to explain further when Kaaras spoke up softly, "I know. I was security for the Conclave… I am Andrastian too. The Divine… She's really?"

Kaaras didn't continue. He registered the shock on her face and found it inappropriate to smile as he usually did when people misjudged him. He heard an affirmative from the woman next to him and looked down, only looking up to hear her speak, "We must think beyond ourselves, as she did. We must seal the Breach. Nothing else matters until that is accomplished."

They were out of the main village now, away from those civilians all so grieved by the passing of their Divine, though if the Qunari was not lying, Justinia had been his Divine too. Here among the guards, she felt it safe enough to cut him free. He had no place to run and had promised to aid her, she owed him a modicum of trust. She pulled a small dagger from her back and watched alarm flash through his eyes before relaxing. He did not trust her it seemed. Funny how that almost wounded her; with how she had almost been at his throat earlier, his caution was more than merited.

"There will be a trial. A fair one, that I ensure you, but I can promise no more, " It was near humbling how calm the Qunari seemed as he rubbed his wrists and waited for her cue.

She stared at him, surprised he hadn't even protested. She wanted to ask him why that was and prepared to call him by name when she realized that she had forgotten it from earlier, "What is your name?"

Kaaras took a deep breath and smiled a bit, "Kaaras Adaar. At your service Seeker Pentaghast." He tried to be a little cheeky, bring a smile to the woman's face and his own as he tried to tangle with grief. It was not working so far for him, but Cassandra at the very least seemed a little amused and surprised, though she probably shouldn't have been. He had just admitted to being Andrastian. Anyone would know she was the Divine's Right Hand.

The woman spurred him on to move as she walked with importance across the bridge crawling with guards. "We must test the Mark on something smaller than the Breach, " Cassandra slipped back into the tone she used to discuss a plan of attack, "There is a small Fade Rift nearby and I will take you to it."

Kaaras nodded obediently and they set out through the gate in silence. Soldiers passed them back towards Haven and one cried that it was the end of the world as they passed. Kaaras stared ahead at the Breach and the way it glowed menacingly, strange green lightning arcing out of it, he could see why people would think that. He pushed forward with Cassandra, wanting to do all he could when another boom was heard and once again he was falling to his knees, clenching his hand as he screamed from the pain. Cassandra rushed to his side faster than one might think was worth a prisoner and helped him to his feet.

"The pulses are coming faster now," the woman was doubting his guilt with every passing moment in Kaaras' presence, she needed to tell him the full extent of what they faced to judge his reaction, "The larger the Breach grows, the more Fade Rifts appear, and the more demons we face."

She let go of his hand when he seemed stable on his feet and he gawked at the breach, "Maker… How did I survive a blast that could do this?"

Cassandra kicked at the ground, speaking up to explain as she pushed onwards, "They say…" She paused, it had sounded ridiculous and she had screamed at the scout that had found the Qunari for being foolish, but what he said earlier about the woman, "They say you stepped out of a Rift, then fell unconscious. That there was a woman helping you out of it, but she did not step out herself."

"Everything in the Valley was laid to waste. Including the Temple of Ashes," She glanced over at him when she heard a sorrowful intake of breath.

"That is where we're headed then. I at least remember that was where I was last posted," He stared on sadly, "It looks bad from even here. But I guess I'll see more soon enough."

Cassandra nodded and they continued on in silence. They rushed forward towards the next bridge when the battering it was taking from the pieces of falling Breach finally destroyed it. The bridge seemed to rear up in protest, and the pair fell as other soldiers ahead were crushed. Kaaras tumbled like a ragdoll alongside the Seeker until he felt cold ice at his back. He groaned and as he stood up shakily to see if Cassandra was alright but she was already surging ahead, telling him to stay back as she raised her sword and charged toward a demon that had appeared.

He blinked in surprise and stumbled back, demons. He fucking hated demons, the voices at the back of his mind, promising him whatever he'd like if he'd only let them in. He tried to call for help when a shade began to appear in front of him as Cassandra took two on at the same time. However, that's when he saw it, the discarded ice staff. He scrambled towards it and felt his magic focusing as he swung the staff forward. He was relentless, lightning crackling from his fingertips and then fire as he destroyed the shade attacking him.

Cassandra was finishing her own kills when she turned and saw the Qunari mage with a staff. Though she seemed to be getting used to the Qunari, her adrenaline was up from the confrontation and she snarled at him, furious that he would take up a weapon without her permission, "Drop your weapon. _Now._ "


	3. Chapter 2: Though I Am Flesh

_A/N Sorry for the wait, continuing to promise that the game dialogue will fall off, promise!_

* * *

 _Though I am flesh, Your Light is ever present,_  
 _And those I have called, they remember,_  
 _And they shall endure._

"I said drop it Kaaras!" Cassandra hissed when he looked at her like a confused child.

Kaaras warred with himself a bit, his bright blue eyes searching hers to see if she was serious and then he slowly began to set the staff down, "All right. As you wish Seeker."

Cassandra's anger abated as he bent down slowly as to not invoke her rage, but as soon as it had passed, she felt shame. He had taken up a weapon to protect himself and in his place she would have done the same. He had also agreed to come willingly, had promised to do what he could. Her cheeks blazed in her shame, "No. Wait. You should keep the staff. I cannot protect both you and myself. And you do not need it, but it will help. I am sorry for my previous anger."

Kaaras gave a light smile, "Do not worry Seeker. I understand this stressful situation, let's continue onwards."

Cassandra gave a gruff answer, managing to feel less guilty as they followed the path again towards the Breach. The route was circuitous, but after fighting and running for a few minutes they were once again on track. The sounds of battle were louder as they rounded steps carved into the mountain. The destroyed bridge laid to the side and up ahead, Kaaras saw a diseased green tear that didn't seem possible. Everything about it seemed wrong; it gave him the same strange feeling the Breach did, a haunted kick in his gut that locked him with fear. It took him a moment as Cassandra brushed past him and urged him on, leaping down to a ruined courtyard, to regain his will and he rushed forward as well, leaping into the fray.

The Qunari's fingers sizzled with electricity and flames as he leapt about and swung the staff forward, pushing his magic out to protect the others fighting. The air near the rift smelled like Ozone and death, as he felled the last demon with aid from a dwarf; another mage, an elf, grabbed his arm and forced his marked hand upwards towards the tear in the veil and he felt pain shoot through his shoulder, up his arm and then focus on the center of his hand as strange green energy connected his palm and the rift before it simply imploded into nothing.

Kaaras gawked in awe as he pulled his hand back a little suspiciously, "Wh-What did you do?"

He rubbed his wrist and tried to ignore the pain in his hand, but it did not abate quickly this time. The elf seemed to smirk in superiority, a gesture that rubbed the Qunari the wrong way as he answered, like a teacher advising a dumb child, " _I_ did nothing. The credit is yours."

Kaaras huffed as he caught the man's reasoning, he glanced at his hand and felt overwhelmed, beside him Cassandra and Solas continued to speak about his ability to close the rifts, but he was the key to their survival? He was the important one? He wanted to sit down and try and catch his breath, when he heard a voice from behind him, amused and full of timbre, "Good to know! Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever."

With a swift turn of the head, Kaaras spotted the dwarf he had been fighting alongside with fixing his gloves before approaching, taking the silence as a chance to introduce himself, "Varric Tethras: rouge, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong." Kaaras' eyes sparked with recognition. This was the author of all those serials and novels; Hard in Hightown, and the controversial, Tale of the Champion. He avoided asking him about those things on the battlefield however, and recalled his manners, "It's good to meet you, Varric."

He was treated to an argument between Varric and Seeker Pentaghast soon after introductions however. He was tempted to ask about the situation, but it was over as swiftly as it began with Cassandra making a disgusted noise and near storming off. He looked between the two and once again was about to ask what was going on before the elf that had grabbed his wrist so gruffly introduced himself, that superior light shining in his eye still. Kaaras felt the urge to punch the smugness out of his face, but that was no way to treat an ally, "If there are to be introductions, you may call me Solas. I am pleased to see you still live."

Varric must have noticed the aggressive change in the Qunari's face. That comment seemed derogatory, and with the way it was delivered, he couldn't help a snarl working his way his throat. The rouge quickly inserted himself into the conversation to clear up any confusion, "He means that he kept that mark from killing you while you were out of commission there merc."

A stiff noise rose from his throat, he still didn't like the man but he had his manners, "Then I suppose I owe you my thanks."

Solas swiped his hand through the air as if physically attempting to brush off the gesture, "Thank me if we manage to close the Breach without killing you in the process."

Kaaras was retorting when Solas dropped his attention from the Qunari to speak with Cassandra, speaking cryptically about never having seen this type of magic, and then spoke about his being a mage. About being skeptical any one mage could hold the power he wielded with so much pain. Cassandra seemed to ignore the elf's worries and marched ahead imploring that they move quickly to the forward camp, shrouded in the bad mood of the situation. At the very least Tethras seemed to be enjoying himself just fine cooing that Bianca was at the very least excited.

The Qunari had to jog to catch up to all three, wondering who among them Bianca was.

With each step, the pain in Kaaras' hand seemed to grow. He fought not to show it though as the small group made their way up the mountain. Varric seemed uncomfortable with the silence though, or maybe he noticed the sheen of sweat on the Qunari's brow after their latest battle and was feigning concern. The topic was innocent enough, something to make him chuckle a little bit.

"So, I'm assuming you aren't a follower of the Qun, huh? You're Tal-Vashoth," Varric whistled along after the four managed to wrest a strange amulet from a group of demons that had been surrounding the thing.

Kaaras glanced up and looked surprised before smiling a bit, though it quickly turned to a grimace as the mark pulsed on his hand, he struggled with himself and grit his teeth for a moment before responding in a haggard voice, "Perceptive. Yes, I grew up in Fereldan. My mother and father were Tal-Vashoth as well. I prefer the chantry to the Qun, otherwise I might be sitting about with my mouth sown shut."

Varric's face looked a little uncomfortable as he remembered the Qunari mage he and Hawke had made the acquaintance of. He had suffered that fate and then killed himself near the end, convinced that it was what he was supposed to do. The man he had been fighting alongside for the last few hours was a very different person, "Haha, looks like your parents helped you dodge a bullet, it's much better being a free man, well, except most people hunt apostates."

Kaaras only shrugged and smiled plainly, "There'll always be hardship. I'm an ox man and a demon magnet to put it into the words of others. A combination most find very unsettling."

Unable to find something to say for once Varric nodded is understanding and the kept forward again. He had asked about being innocent, but Kaaras had no idea what happened up there. The mage hoped very truly that it wasn't his fault. He didn't want to have all of those deaths on his conscious, Maker preserve him, he might go mad if it was truly his fault. The pain in his hand helped him focus though. And the fighting kept his mind off the thoughts.

The forward camp was just beyond another rift and shouts came from the soldiers trying to hold their own and the gates of the forward camp with no relief. A sense of responsibility surged through Kaaras even as his hand pulsed sickly, making bile rise in his throat. He rushed forward alongside Cassandra as Solas advised caution. It was a quick battle, fast and dirty. He lifted his hand as Solas shouted for him to close the rift and he felt the sting from before amplified, his teeth grit and he nearly let out a scream of pain but it came more as a distressed grunt as the rift closed. He stumbled forward and bent over bracing hands on his legs as a small cheer went up from the wall and Cassandra ordered the gates open. Varric was the only one to look concerned as Kaaras straightened back up slowly. Solas choose not to comment as he passed by the Qunari and Cassandra was distracted by reports from the forward camp, unaware of any distress behind her.

"All right there? You'll be no use to anyone dead you know," the rogue commented as Kaaras took a shaky breath.

Kaaras gave a simple shrug and smiled a bit, moving past the dwarf, "I won't be any use dead, yeah. But it's getting hard to stay useful at this pace. Just need to get to the Breach. I can help fix all this. I know it."

Varric frowned, uncomfortably reminded of Hawke in that manner. That woman always throwing herself into things face first with little regard for herself if there was even the slightest chance of making some part of Kirkwall less terrible. This however was on a different scale entirely, how could some unlucky Qunari hope to just fix the sky with nothing but a mark, a staff and a ragtag group of survivors at his back? He checked Bianca again as he stepped into the forward camp, left behind in his thoughts, maybe he could stick around, help out the man until he wasn't needed, people like Kaaras, full of determination always needed people to protect their efforts.

Leliana had little patience for the events of today and Chancellor Roderick was trying her last nerve. She had made it to the forward camp with barely a thought, but she had heard from the scouts that taking the appearance of the Prisoner on the field was causing much agitation among the demons, before, they were keeping to their destructive shots downwards, now they roamed and were becoming more and more aggressive. It made her suspicious, was it because of him or for him that these demons were so wild? But even with her doubts, her scouts still reported his ability to close rifts, even now, he should be arriving at any second. Even arguing with Chancellor Roderick, she still listened for their approach, though Roderick addressed the party of four arriving before she did.

The woman watched his barely contained fury as the Qunari mage walked up to them alongside Cassandra. He tried to hide the pain and weariness in his gnarled face, but couldn't manage that from the prying eyes of the spymaster. She tried to introduce the man, "Chancellor Rodrick, this i-"

"I know who he is. As grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution!" With each word Roderick spat more and grew redder in the face. Kaaras didn't react to the tirade; he understood the man's fury, it was his own way of dealing with his grief and fear. He did however flinch at the rage that came from Cassandra, the tone of her voice promising violence in her frustration.

" _You_?! Order _me_? You are a glorified _clerk_! A _bureaucrat_ ," Cassandra hissed her words like curses, spitting venom back at the man.

This set off a shouting match as both of them traded insults. At one point Leliana tried to remind Roderick that the forces were only Justinia's to command and when he spat back that she was dead, the hurt that ran through both Cassandra and Leliana was palpable and that's when the Qunari had had enough of the ranting.

"Enough of this!" Kaaras spoke aloud, voice booming and aggressive and filled with frustration. He made a movement towards the table that separated Roderick and heard the man whimper in fear, he could feel the eyes of the entire forward camp on him and he almost lost his nerve. He was as afraid as Roderick was, as any of them could be, but he felt the need to remind this pitiful man about what was at stake.

"The Breach is the paramount matter here. If you want me executed, I may well die on my way to it, but I refuse to leave without getting a chance to close it. I do not know if this is truly my fault, but if it is, I want the chance to try and amend this error. You need to stand down," his voice boomed throughout the silent camp, no other noises beyond the wind howling and pushing about the snow.

A slow murmur began as the man sputtered before he was forgotten. He received the warmest smile he could ever remember getting from Cassandra, suspicion still there, but there was also admiration now. She ignored Roderick and began speaking with Leliana about how best to approach the temple. Kaaras kept his eyes on Roderick as they argued the finer details, watching his despair war with his outrage until he finally gasped out, "We should leave before we lose more lives, this Qunari's mistake is leading all of our forces to their ends, no mountain path or charge will save us! It will only lead to more death!"

The right and left hands of the Divine frowned archly and glared at Roderick before Leliana spoke up, looking into the crystal blues of the Qunari, "Chancellor Roderick, the breach cannot be allowed to continue expanding and shooting out demons. We are staying and fighting, but what say you Adaar? You are the one that bears the mark, the one that must be kept alive… What do you think? Charging with the soldiers on a forward assault or the mountain path?"

Kaaras frowned up at the Breach and then looked back to the two expectant women; he nodded and spoke up, "I say we charge, move straight through the valley and then upwards."

Cassandra nodded and looked to Leliana, "Gather everyone remaining to go to the valley. We must make it to the temple."

As the group moved forward to prepare, the only voice that wasn't barking orders was a grief filled growl that made the march ahead feel all the more ominous, "The consequences lie with you Seeker."


End file.
